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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23181598">don't you ever change</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/floweryfran/pseuds/floweryfran'>floweryfran</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>my girl(s) [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Awesome Pepper Potts, BAMF Pepper Potts, Parent Pepper Potts, Pepper Potts Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Pepper Potts Feels, Pepper Potts Is a Good Bro, Pepper Potts is a fucking dork fight me on it, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, literally peter and pepper having a high school sleepover, pepper potts loves victorian romantic comedies that is canon i swear, they do facemasks and argue the acceptability of clueless's plot in modern society</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:59:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,737</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23181598</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/floweryfran/pseuds/floweryfran</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The thing is. Well. Peter doesn’t have all that many friends.</p><p>He has <em>good</em> friends, great friends, really, friends that have run their fingers along the gentle curvature of his bones and memorized it, friends who iron out his creases with a puff of warm breath and a steady hand. </p><p>There’s, like, six of them, though. Max.</p><p>So when May is in Maryland for a work conference, Tony and Morgan are off on an overnight trip to the Smithsonian(‘s dinosaurs, because Morgan discovered the History channel and babbles adorably and endlessly every time a dinosaur special comes on), Natasha is in Belarus or Hawally or wherever, and MJ and Ned are both puking- MJ from her period, and Ned from a bout of incredible food poisoning- Peter finds himself with a thick layer of avocado smeared across his face and a mouth tingling from salty pho, Pepper filing her nails at his side and suggesting movies for them to watch while they primp.</p><p>-- </p><p>or, girl's night in with pp and pp.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Peter Parker &amp; Pepper Potts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>my girl(s) [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1659547</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>65</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>401</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>don't you ever change</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The thing is. Well. Peter doesn’t have all that many friends.</p><p> </p><p>He has <em> good </em> friends, great friends, really, friends that have run their fingers along the gentle curvature of his bones and memorized it, friends who iron out his creases with a puff of warm breath and a steady hand. </p><p> </p><p>There’s, like, six of them, though. Max.</p><p> </p><p>So when May is in Maryland for a work conference, Tony and Morgan are off on an overnight trip to the Smithsonian(‘s dinosaurs, because Morgan discovered the History channel and babbles adorably and endlessly every time a dinosaur special comes on), Natasha is in Belarus or Hawally or wherever, and MJ and Ned are both puking- MJ from her period, and Ned from a bout of incredible food poisoning- Peter finds himself with a thick layer of avocado smeared across his face and a mouth tingling from salty pho, Pepper filing her nails at his side and suggesting movies for them to watch while they primp.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, oh,” she says, “have you seen <em> Groundhog Day?” </em></p><p> </p><p>“Yup,” Peter says. His heels are perched on the coffee table and he rolls them, his toes bumping. “Ben always liked that one.”</p><p> </p><p>“What about <em> Ten Things I Hate About You?” </em></p><p> </p><p>“That was a prerequisite for dating MJ.”</p><p> </p><p>“Fair,” Pepper says. She curses, bringing her nail and her file closer to her eyes. “Ooo, have you seen <em> Tron? </em> What about <em> Robocop? Mad Max? Planet of the Apes?” </em></p><p> </p><p>“Pep,” Peter says, “sweet Pepper, you wonderful woman. Are you a nerd? I think you’re secretly a huge dork. You are, aren’t you? This whole time?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well,” Pepper says. She places her nail file upon the arm of the couch. “I mean, I love Jane Austen. And Jane Eyre, all the— Janes. They’re all great. But sometimes,” her nose wrinkles and a glob of avocado almost falls off her face, “I just need some fake strange science shit to distract from the real strange science shit that makes up my life.”</p><p> </p><p>“That is so valid,” Peter says emphatically. “That’s why Ned and I make a point to rewatch Star Wars at least once every other month. To keep the fun magic alive and the almost-dying magic out of our heads.” A sparkle of coolness shoots up his spine and he reaches out just in time to catch the bit of avocado hanging precariously from Pepper’s chin, letting it fall onto the back of his hand. He shakes it into the green-stained bowl sitting on the coffee table beside their platter of cucumber slices and chocolate-dipped strawberries.</p><p> </p><p>“I wonder if this actually does good stuff for our skin,” says Pepper. “I mean, it’s supposed to, but maybe it’s just placebo or something. It’s just fruit. What could <em> one fruit </em> possibly change?”</p><p> </p><p>“I bet Eve would have something to say to that.”</p><p> </p><p>Pepper snorts uncouthly. “Well, thank goodness nothing that serious will ever depend on a decision of mine.”</p><p> </p><p>“You say, as if your decisions don’t control Tony’s decisions, which the fate of the entire world depends upon.”</p><p> </p><p>Pepper’s mouth opens, then falls closed. “Fair enough.”</p><p> </p><p>Peter grins a little and grabs a cucumber slice. He swipes it along his jawline and eats it with the avocado on top, crunching loudly.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, gross, kid,” Pepper says, but she laughs, her eyes wrinkling shut, “what if it <em> does </em> help detox your skin and now you’ve got— <em> skin junk </em> in your mouth?”</p><p> </p><p>Peter pauses mid-chew. “I’m going to valiantly attempt to pretend you never said that.”</p><p> </p><p>More avocado drips from Pepper’s face as she laughs, a loud shout of a thing that sounds the same way champagne bubbles feel as they slip sickly sweet and sharp down his throat on New Years. The mash lands on the mouth of her sweatshirt, and she yelps, “oh, sugar!” between snorts. </p><p> </p><p>The softened expletive makes Peter titter himself, and his laughter hunches him forward, the scrunch of his face causing his avocado mask to drip onto the thighs of his sweatpants. “Noooo,” he says, and Pepper is cackling, “we’re making a mess, Pep, look at this, look at this <em> mess.” </em></p><p> </p><p>“Worse than Morgan,” she wheezes. </p><p> </p><p>“So much worse!” Peter agrees. “This is terrible. A travesty and a waste of perfectly good avocado junk.”</p><p> </p><p>He rises and goes to grab a wad of paper towel from the kitchen counter, running it under the faucet before bringing it to Pepper and splitting it between them. </p><p> </p><p>They dab at themselves, the remnants of giggles running through them as Pepper says, “maybe we did this wrong. I think we put too much on all at once. That’s why we look like we got in a tragic food fight.”</p><p> </p><p>Peter looks over at her to weigh her statement and almost does a double-take. In the soft ochre light from the lamp beside her, Pepper absolutely glows, her hair dripping over her shoulder like the dip of her collarbone is a Phlegethon delta, her skin creamy and freckled and pellucid like wet paper, tinted pink. Even with half her face smudged over with thick chunks of avocado, she’s prettier than anyone has any right to be, and Peter says, aloud, “I dunno what you’re talking about, considering <em> you’re lovely, just the way you look tonight” </em> he slips into the song as if it’s nothing, and it is nothing, because Tony sings Sinatra non-stop when they hang out in aquariums or under the stars or pick up groceries. <em> “Don’t you ever change,” </em> he adds, and he is as pitch-challenged as ever, but Pepper laughs that loud, shouted thing again and Peter feels accomplished.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re a little charmer,” she says. “MJ is one lucky girl.”</p><p> </p><p>“I am absolutely the lucky one,” Peter corrects, jerking his chin sideways to keep another lump of avocado from falling off of him. “She is so smart and funny and cool and I’m just Andy from <em> Parks and Rec </em> slobbering after her but it works, it’s great.”</p><p> </p><p>Pepper reaches over and scrubs a bit of avocado from one of his eyebrows with her towel. “As long as it works and you two are happy,” she says warmly. “That’s all that matters, y’know.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I’m— finally a little less clueless as to how it all works.”</p><p> </p><p>“Clueless!” Pepper yells, and Peter jumps, his heart fully stopping. </p><p> </p><p>“Sorry,” she says, patting his finally-clean cheek comfortingly, “sorry, kiddo, I got excited, too excited. <em> Clueless! </em> That movie from the nineties with Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd?”</p><p> </p><p>Peter, trying to wrangle his heart back into its proper place, says, “he’s the one that looks like Scott Lang?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, just like Scott!”</p><p> </p><p>“Wow, everyone looks like famous people these days,” Peter says, then, “yeah, sure, let’s watch it, sounds good.”</p><p> </p><p>Pepper tucks her knees under her, eyes glowing, greenish paper towels bunched in her hands. “It’s a rom-com based on <em> Emma </em> by Jane Austen, but completely and totally updated to be American high school instead of boring Victorians.”</p><p> </p><p>Peter shoots her two thumbs up and grabs a chocolate strawberry, popping it into his mouth. “Sounds rela’able,” he says around it. </p><p> </p><p>To her eternal credit, Pepper doesn’t even flinch, instead grabbing a thick stack of cucumber and taking a bite out of it as she lifts the remote, opening FRIDAY’s streaming service. “It’s ‘retty funny,” she tells him.</p><p> </p><p>And it is funny. Peter likes Josh right from the beginning, and thinks Cher is redeemable due to her total lack of education regarding social norms, which is something MJ must have taught him. </p><p> </p><p>“She reminds me of Tony when I first started working for him,” Pepper confides, and Peter’s brain supplies an intrusive image of Tony wearing one of Cher’s yellow blazer-skirt combos and he lets out a painful, strained snort of regretful laughter.</p><p> </p><p>Peter keeps enjoying the movie until it’s end. </p><p> </p><p>“But isn’t that, like, incest?” Peter says as Cher and Josh kiss. His nose is permanently wrinkled. He has a sudden bad taste in his mouth. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah,” says Pepper. “If you can imagine, it was even creepier in the book this movie is based upon. They were, like, fifteen years apart in age on top of the whole sorta-kinda-brother thing.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, nasty,” Peter says, “nasty, that is so gross, that is <em> literal pedophelia.” </em></p><p> </p><p>“Welcome to the eighteen-hundreds,” says Pepper. She sighs. “Still a fun movie though, right? Cute?”</p><p> </p><p>“Super cute,” Peter agrees, running his hands through his hair, wired. “I’m going to completely ignore that ending. No I won’t. I absolutely won’t. Why couldn’t they just make him a childhood friend or something? Using the word brother, even if they, like, deny it, makes it seem more real. No way. I don’t like it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Loyalty to the novel?” Pepper suggests. “But I agree. Nasty.”</p><p> </p><p>“Disgusting,” Peter says, shaking his head, “fff— very disgusting.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m a big girl,” Pepper says. “You can say the fuck word in front of me.”</p><p> </p><p>“You are so cool.” Peter says it with his whole chest. Pepper is his new role model. He wants to be as simultaneously ferocious and badass and adorable as her when he’s grown. </p><p> </p><p>Pepper says, “would I be even cooler if I double dare you to go get the pint of Chunky Monkey I’m hiding in the freezer under the box of halibut?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my G-d, <em> you just passed Mark Hamill on the cool scale,” </em> Peter says, throwing himself off the couch cushions and slipping across the hardwood on sock feet, fetching the ice cream and two spoons and returning to Pepper as quickly as he can. </p><p> </p><p>They make quick work of downing it, Peter’s head aching from brain freeze and his cheeks aching from the laughter Pepper seems to be able to pull straight from the pit of his stomach, two-handed and steady and ripe with gentle force. </p><p> </p><p>Peter feels unseated in the most comfortable of ways. As if he missed a step and landed in a pillow pit, sinking into familiar memory foam. Like he has known her forever, but remembers her now. </p><p> </p><p>He can’t stop looking at her like she’s a miracle. And it is, all of this, miraculous, he thinks, when the metal of their spoons clinks together and she crosses them like they’re in a sword fight, making little sound effects for every swing of her weapon, her arm pressed flush against Peter’s, her laugh caught between his grateful ears. It feels like lost and found, and Peter revels in the relief of settling into this wonderful, warm newness. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>do not forget pepper "that was really violent" potts is a DORK, first and foremost</p><p>let me knoWOwOOW what you thiNnnNkKK quarantine is driving me (and the discord, oh my god) a little crazy :')</p><p>i love you all. if i come up with anything else for this series, you'll be the first to know ;-) </p><p>&lt;3333</p></blockquote></div></div>
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